Opinion: What Idle No More tells us about the need for change

Vandna Sinha, left, is an assistant professor at the Centre for Research on Children and Families at McGill University. She works closely with First Nations organizations, and consulted with representatives from partner organizations in writing this. Jennifer Nutton is a PhD student in the School of Social Work at McGill University.

Recent actions by Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence, the Assembly of First Nations, the Idle No More movement, First Nations communities and the federal government have drawn attention to two related but distinct issues.

The first is the need for Canada to fulfill its international, constitutional, treaty and fiduciary obligations in order to address long-standing disparities in the health, socio-economic and educational services and opportunities available to First Nations and the general population.

The second is the need to improve the financial-management practices of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and of some First Nations communities.

Successfully addressing these issues will require sustained collaboration by First Nations and the federal government, with assistance from the provinces and territories.

There are serious and persistent structural impediments to the improvement of conditions in First Nations communities. The history of Canada is one in which the British Crown and its successors — federal, provincial and territorial governments — claimed control over large areas of First Nations lands. In many cases, Canada and its provinces/territories continue to reap revenues from use of these lands, to make unilateral decisions about land development, and even to limit First Nations’ access to hunting and fishing.

The ongoing impact of these actions is evident in statistics on socioeconomic conditions. The median income for First Nations people on reserve in 2006 was less than half that of non-aboriginals, and the proportion of on-reserve people living in overcrowded housing was almost nine times that of non-aboriginal people. The federal auditor general’s 2011 report noted that efforts to close the First Nations education gap have yet to yield results, that federal action on drinking-water quality in First Nations communities has not led to significant improvements, that there are serious gaps in preventive and front-line health and social services on reserve, and that the federal government has not committed to ensuring that child and family services on reserves are comparable to those in the rest of Canadian society.

Additional funding for health and social services, education and community/economic development is desperately needed. But additional funds will not be enough to address the underlying problems. Canada and First Nations must work together to find ways of directly addressing structural barriers and to ensure that legislation and programs support, rather than suppress, efforts to improve conditions in First Nations communities.

Discussion of financial-management practices has been fuelled by an audit examining Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada’s monitoring, oversight and reporting on housing funds and developments in Attawapiskat over a six-year period, during which the community was co-managed by the federal department. The audit revealed consistent errors in the paperwork submitted to, and accepted by, the department, and in the supporting documentation maintained by Attawapiskat.

The picture painted by the audit is in keeping with a 2006 report by the federal auditor general that described a system overwhelmed by paperwork, including more than 60,000 reports a year from over 600 First Nations. The report said that “four federal organizations required at least 168 reports annually from First Nations communities — many with fewer than 500 residents.” In 2011, the auditor general found that the reporting burden remained high and concluded that “First Nations continue to spend time and resources to complete reports for (the federal department), but some of these reports may serve little purpose and may interfere with First Nations’ ability to meet the needs of their members.”

The heavy burden of reporting requirements represents a systemic problem that can only be addressed through the collaborative redesign of reporting systems. The redesign must ensure that only necessary information is requested, that First Nations have the resources and capacities to provide this necessary information, and that Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and other federal entities make efficient use of the information provided to them.

But addressing the barriers to improving the conditions in First Nations communities will require more than additional funds and a redesign of reporting systems, and more than an occasional meeting between First Nations and federal leaders. It will take a sustained, collaborative effort in which addressing the needs of First Nations communities is the No. 1 priority of all parties.

Regardless of her performance as an administrator, Chief Spence has shown remarkable courage as a leader: in refusing to eat solid food until the federal government engages on these issues in a credible manner, she has left no question that addressing the needs of her community is her first priority. The Assembly of First Nations and other First Nations organizations, which continue their advocacy efforts despite their budgets having been slashed in recent years, similarly prioritize the need of First Nations.

Whatever one may think of its tactics and strategy, the core purpose of the Idle No More Movement is to prioritize the needs of First Nations. The question now is whether the federal government will give these urgent matters the same priority and meaningfully engage with First Nations to find solutions.

Vandna Sinha is an assistant professor at the Centre for Research on Children and Families at McGill University. She works closely with First Nations organizations, and consulted with representatives from partner organizations in writing this.

Jennifer Nuttonis a PhD student in the School of Social Work at McGill University.

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Vandna Sinha, left, is an assistant professor at the Centre for Research on Children and Families at McGill University. She works closely with First Nations organizations, and consulted with representatives from partner organizations in writing this. Jennifer Nutton is a PhD student in the School of Social Work at McGill University.

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